With 100% English Ancestry, I thought it might be really difficult to trace my ancestors back in England from Canada. Only my mother, her father and his mother were born in Canada. This Blog will talk about researching my English ancestors from Canada but also the ancestors of our son in law whose families stretch back far into Colonial French Canada. My one name study of Blake and of Pincombe also dominate my blog these days.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

The testator is Thomas Blake of Boldre, Hampshire. He names his wife Elizabeth and his two daughters as Julian Cannings and Johan Roberts. Boldre (also known as Bolder) is a parish in the hundred of Christchurch and New Forest. This is a beautiful area having traveled through it on our way to the Isle of Wight. The village is two miles from Lymington, Hampshire. At this point on the map we are south west of Southampton.

This will has been recopied into a book of wills although that doesn’t particularly make the reading of it any easier! I suspect the copying was done long ago. There are a number of wills for the Blake family at Boldre in the Hampshire Record Office. Later in the 1800s there is mention of the Blake family at Boldre. Since Thomas does not mention sons but does mention other Blake members these would possibly be descendants of those other members namely John Blake and George Blake.

1 In the name of God Amen the xj daie
2 of Marche Anno d[omi]ni m ccccc xxxv I Thomas
3 blake of the p[ar]yshe of bolder beinge sycke of body and
4 of good memorye make my testament in this wysse
5 Fyrst I bequeth my soule unto allmightie god and my
6 body to be buryed in the churche yard of saint John
7 In bolder Item I bequethe to the mother churche in
8 wynchester iiij d and to the heigh alter of bolder ij d It[e]m
9 I bequethe to the churche of bolder one hyffer of ij yeres
10 of age It[e]m to the maynten[an]ce of the chapel of South
11 Badysley an heifer It[e]m to Elsabith sreboren my synt
12 one ewe and one lambe It[e]m to Cristin draper one
13 ewe and one lambe j brase pot of a gallon and one brasse panne
14 of one psell It[e]m to wyllyam peres one ewe and
15 one lambe It[e]m to the iiij children of Johan
16 lynys ech one of them j shepe It[e]m to iij children
17 of Thomas chen[er]tons ech one of them j shepe It[e]m
18 suche lands as I have I wyll that Elsabith my
19 wyffe shall have hit during her lyff and after to
20 remayne to Julyan Cannings and Johan Rob[er]ts my twoe
21 daughters It[e]m I wyll that John Maller and
22 peter Cannyngs be my ov[er]seers and they to have for
23 ther labor everie of them one bollock And all the
24 resyewe of my goods moveable and unmoveable
25 not bequeathed I gyve unto the forsaid Elsabith
26 my wuffe And her I make my sole executrix
27 In wyttnes hereof John Maller George blake
28 peter Cannyngs John Blake hughe Colly Wyllym
29 _______ w[i]th other
30 Probatum in ecclia Cath winton xij die Ap[ri]lis Anno
31 d[omi]ni m ccccc xxxvj cora mro Edmundeo Steward
.........